This
little heatsink from Zalman is called the CNPS2X and it looks like it should be
found on an entry level videocard, motherboard chipset or possibly
a miniITX motherboard. It is small. To give an idea of how small, the
impeller from a 120mm fan is larger than this entire
heatsink.

Never the less, Zalman have made the low profile CNPS2X heatsink for Intel socket LGA115x and
AMD socket FM2/FM1/AM2/AM3 processors. Low profile heatsinks are vastly under served by heatsink manufacturers so we're happy to see
more options becoming available to consumers.

The Zalman
CNPS2X heatsink stands a mere 28mm high and is 85mm in diameter. These compact dimensions will allow the Zalman CNPS2X to be used in
1U server chassis, though the CNPS2X is not intended as thermal solution for servers. Weighing just
83 grams, the CNPS2X is cooled by a single 80mm PWM fan that spins at 1500-2600RPM and
produces little if any audible noise.

The heatsink itself looks like
it's entirely made of copper, but this isn't quite so. A single 6mm diameter copper heatpipe
is exposed at the base plate where it makes direct contact with
the CPU, that heat pipe then loops around the body of the fan-shaped
heatsink to conduct heat energy out to the fins. The cooling fins and plate, however, are both
made from aluminum which has been copper plated. The only copper in the CNPS2X heatsink is the
heatpipe and the thin surface plating.

If you're building a small form factor home
theatre PC, or working with a rack mount 1U chassis that is
severely height restricted, Zalman's CNPS2X heatsink might be just up
your alley. Based on Frostytech's thermal test results we'd recommend
limiting it to use on sub 95W TDP processors though.

Heat transfer from the lone heatpipe is exceptionally important for this small cooler.
Zalman have added a ring of solder around the circumference of the
cooling fins to solder the heatpipe and ensure a good thermal joint for heat energy
to conduct across.

Soldered joint
between heatpipes and copper base plate.

Heatsink Installation and Hardware

Zalman's CNPS2X heatsink ships with two sets of metal brackets
that screw onto the bottom of the heatsink and a metal plate that mounts
behind the motherboard to apply clamping force. A screwdriver will be required to install or
remove this CPU cooler.

FrostyTech's Test Methodologies are outlined in detail here if you care to know what equipment is
used, and the parameters under which the tests are conducted. Now let's move
forward and take a closer look at this heatsink, its acoustic characteristics,
and of course its performance in the thermal tests!